1914 Peugeot 145S Torpedo Tourer
Peugeot’s racing achievements in the early 1910s brought global attention to the French automaker, especially after Jules Goux’s 1913 Indianapolis 500 victory in a Peugeot powered by the firm’s pioneering 7.6-liter dual overhead cam racing engine. During that same period, Peugeot introduced the 145S sport-touring model, favored by professional drivers such as Georges Boillot( who also drove the company’s Grand Prix racers to victory in 1912 and 1913) and Victor Rigal.
The 145S featured a substantial 4.5-liter four-cylinder engine with pressure lubrication to its three main bearings, delivering about 40 horsepower through a four-speed manual gearbox. Only 325 examples were produced between 1913 and 1914 before World War I halted production. This particular car left Peugeot’s Lille factory on May 30, 1914, bound for the New York area (just weeks before German forces overran northern France).
The Torpedo Tourer body provided open-air motoring in the classic sporting fashion of its time. Believed to be the only surviving 145S, this example gained renewed fame in 1968 when it appeared at the New York International Auto Show and completed a 6,700-mile Trans-Continental Tour commemorating the 1908 New York-to-Paris race. Restored in the mid-1990s by noted California restorer Allan Taylor, it now wears its correct period finish in aubergine and Bordeaux red with caramel leather upholstery.
The car retains authentic details, including a wicker trunk, side-mounted wicker umbrella holders with a 1913-style malacca cane umbrella, and factory center-lock wire wheels.
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